2G scam: Parliament standoff continues; hopes on all-party meet

New Delhi: Parliament continued to remain a mute victim of the standoff between the government and the opposition over the 2G Spectrum scam, with both Houses being adjourned for the entire day on Tuesday.

While the logjam in Parliament continued, the opposition stepped up its attack outside Parliament.

The non-NDA opposition, including the Left parties, continued to remain adamant on their demand for a JPC probe and protested outside Parliament for the same.

Leaders from 10 parties also marched to the Rashtrapati Bhavan from Parliament to meet President Pratibha Patil.

They submitted a memorandum to the President demanding that a JPC be set up to probe the 2G Spectrum allocation scam.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters after the meeting that the President patiently heard the leaders from the 10 parties and accepted their memorandum.

"We hope that she acts on the memorandum," Yechury said.

Leaders of the opposition National Democratic Alliance also met today and decided to stay firm on their demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G scam.

The NDA combine also decided to hold a rally against corruption.

Inside the Parliament, the tug-of-war continued with both Houses first adjourning till noon and then for the entire day as opposition protests continued.

Question Hour also continued to remain a victim of the protests for the 13th straight working day.

The opposition protests in the Lok Sabha, however,
appeared to be losing steam with decibel levels considerably
low compared to the previous week.

It was a repeat of now common scenes of opposition members
rushing to the well of the House as soon as Speaker Meira
Kumar took up the Question Hour.

Members of the BJP, Shiv Sena, AIADMK and SP shouted
slogans `We want JPC` and were countered by Congress members
who waved placards and demanded resignation of Karnataka Chief
Minister BS Yeddyurappa.

However, after token protests, the Congress members folded
the placards and took their seats after Parliamentary Affairs
Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal asked them to do so.

Kumar`s plea for order did not pacify the Opposition
members who continued their protests in the well. The Speaker
then adjourned the House till noon.

However, the scene did not change much when the House reassembled at 12:00 noon, forcing the Chair to adjourn the House for the day.

The Lok Sabha Speaker has convened an all-party meeting this
afternoon to break the logjam.

In the Rajya Sabha, soon after Chairman Hamid Ansari took
up the first listed question, opposition BJP and AIADMK
members trooped into the well raising slogans against alleged
corruption at high places in the government.

"Please do not come into the Well," Ansari said.

He chided Rudra Narayan Pany (BJP) for trooping into the
well every time. "Mr Pany, you are consistently violating the
rules," he said.

But the opposition members paid little heed to Ansari and
raised slogans demanding a JPC to go into the alleged
irregularities in allocation of 2G Spectrum under former
telecom minister A Raja.

The ruling Congress members countered the slogan shouting
displaying banners that posed "What About Shourie`s
Revelation" in apparent reference to former telecom minister
and BJP leader Arun Shourie`s comments in a TV interview that
he was replaced by his party colleague M Venkiah Naidu as the
lead speaker for the Opposition BJP in the Rajya Sabha on the
2009 Budget.

As the opposition protest continued, Ansari remarked,
"What should be done on the streets is being done in the
House. The Chair has no option but to adjourn the House till
12:00 hours."

Like the lower house, the Rajya Sabha too was adjourned for the day when it met again at 12:00 noon.